Sean Dyche refuses to comment on Anthony Gordon ahead of Everton v Newcastle
Former Everton star Anthony Gordon has been one of Newcastle United’s most in-form players since moving to Tyneside in January for £45million.
The 22-year-old has already scored six goals and added three assists to his tally, his best season for goal involvements to date.
However, Sean Dyche refused to praise the former Toffees man in Everton’s most recent press conference ahead of their next fixture, welcoming Newcastle to Goodison Park.
“I don’t know much about him in the sense of working with him on a daily basis,” he said in a press conference on Wednesday (6 December).
“It seems like he’s settled into life up there. They’ve collected some very good players, put an amount of money into the team that’s helped, a good manager as well. It’s a good mixture and they’ve shown that.
“It’s not about one player. I think they’re a good side and, other than their injuries, I think they’ve got a good squad actually.”
Money, money, money
Everton’s reported losses of £371.8million in the past three years were assumed to have pushed the club into selling Gordon, with £45million a huge positive for the Toffees.
However, it seemed like the deal suited both parties, with Gordon’s attitude suggesting his mind was already elsewhere while Everton battled relegation.
Since the move, Gordon has sparked into life. We saw spells of it at Goodison Park, but his unhappiness was far too obvious to enjoy his talent unfold. He is now a fan-favourite at St. James’ Park and a favourite of Eddie Howe’s.
It will be interesting to see his reception at Goodison Park on Thursday night, from the crowd and from Dyche, who is clearly more interested in his own team than a winger from the opposition.
When the two sides met last season, in a 4-1 away with for the Magpies, Gordon was dropped to the bench and was only brought on with three minutes of the game remaining. Whether Howe makes the same choice this season remains to be seen.
In other Everton news, a Toffees-linked player has responded to speculation around his future.